TEMPO.CO, Nusa Dua - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan plans to use seaweed, cassava, and palm oil as raw materials for making plastic. He said these are recyclable materials that, when used, will help reduce plastic waste in Indonesia.
By replacing the materials, Luhut said, a new industry will be created.
Met during the sidelines of the World Ocean Summit 2017 in Nusa Dua, Bali, Luhut said that plastic waste is threatening Indonesia's tourism sector and jeopardizing the livelihoods of 12 million people working in the industry.
According to Luhut, plastic waste reduction takes time to be implemented. "But we have to start, right? We have to fight it together, and reduce it gradually."
The minister said that plastic waste endangers the lives and habitats of fish, mammals, and coral reefs. In addition, plastic waste causes financial harms to people living in tourist areas, as the garbage turns away travelers.
The government aims to reduce Indonesia's plastic waste by 70 percent at the end of 2025. For that purpose, Luhut said, the government is ready to spend up to US$1 billion a year.
According to the World Bank, Indonesia generates an average of 0.4 to 0.89 kilograms of plastic waste per capita, every year.
ANGELINA ANJAR SAWITRI
